In the Red Sea, Yemeni militants seize a merchant ship with Ukrainians

Yemeni Houthi militants have seized a merchant ship in the Red Sea, as they claimed, "in support of Hamas". Israeli authorities said that the ship seized by Iranian proxies was a British vessel and condemned "yet another act of international terrorism," Reuters reports.

The pirates apparently mistook the ship for an Israeli vessel, but Israeli authorities said that the ship belongs to a British company and is operated by a Japanese company. There are also no Israelis on board, but Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Filipinos, and Mexicans.

Initial reports claimed that it was the cargo ship Galaxy Leader, but official sources avoided disclosing the name of the seized ship.

The IDF released a statement saying that "the ship left Turkey and was heading to India with an international civilian crew, no Israelis." The English version of the statement said that the ship "was not Israeli".

The Israeli Defense Forces called the hijacking of the neutral cargo ship by the Houthis "an event of global proportions."

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said it strongly condemns the attack on the international vessel.

"The ship, owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese company, was seized at the whim of Iran by Houthi militias in Yemen. There are 25 crew members of different nationalities on board, including Ukrainians, Bulgarians, Filipinos, and Mexicans," the statement said.

It is emphasized that "this is another act of Iranian terrorism."

On November 14, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Hussein announced the shelling of Eilat with ballistic missiles and said that the group was expanding its military operations against Israel and "will not hesitate to strike any Israeli ship in the Red Sea."

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 20/11/2023